


The Middle

by idontknowhattochoose



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Fluff, Fluff without Plot, Introspection, Road Trips, Soft Andrew Minyard, Soft Neil Josten, Song fic, but barely, set the summer before andrew's last year
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:48:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29258472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idontknowhattochoose/pseuds/idontknowhattochoose
Summary: Neil and Andrew are on their last summer road trip when a song comes on.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Kudos: 23





	The Middle

**Author's Note:**

> Set to [The Middle by Trampled by Turtles](https://open.spotify.com/track/31xHu2X5JsxC4cQTypoJ2l?si=_xOpN7SeSYGVDSpDek0E2Q)
> 
> I don’t know how this happened I heard this song today and I thought it would be a good road trip song and then I remembered Andreil canonically go on road trips and now we’re here.

They’re on another one of their road trips, deep in the Colorado mountains when a song comes on. Neil listens absentmindedly while he watches the landscape roll past, one hand linked with Andrew’s over the center console and the other holding their carefully plotted map. Halfway through his thoughts catch on some of the lyrics, but then the song is ending and he needs to hear it again.

“What song was that?”

“It’s not my playlist.” Andrew unlinks their hands to toss his phone to Neil.

Neil skips back to play it again and listen to the lyrics. It’s over too soon, and when he goes to replay it Andrew says, “Just put it on repeat,” so he tosses his phone back and folds up the map, rolling down the window as the song starts again. The wind catches his curls and he watches spruce trees whip past as the Maserati drives deeper into the mountain range. He closes his eyes against the late afternoon sun and just listens.

_I’m a pretender  
All the lies I live make me wonder_

He turns his head to look over at Andrew, watches the way his hair turns golden in the sunlight.

_How I wish it could be another way_  
_And I wouldn’t stumble and go away_  
_Yeah, it makes you cry just a little_

It makes him think of the bus ride, all those years ago, of trying to commit him to memory so he wouldn’t forget a single thing in the last few hours he had. It makes him think of all the times since then that he’s been able to focus on every detail. Makes him think of all the years he still has to do the same. He wonders if his past self would believe that one day he would be here sitting next to the man he loves, driving just to drive, no longer counting the days and barely able to keep count of all the years.

The song starts again, and Andrew must feel him staring because he looks over at him and places his hand face-up on the console.

“What is it, junkie?”

Neil smiles and takes Andrew’s hand again, “Nothing, I’m just happy.”

**Author's Note:**

> if there's any mistakes in this please tell me so i don't notice it later and die i wrote this in like .8 seconds so there probably are some


End file.
